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Committee backs ordinance requiring disclosure if property lies on SFPUC 100‑year storm flood‑risk map
Summary
The committee gave a positive recommendation to an ordinance that would require sellers and landlords to disclose whether a property appears on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's 100‑year storm flood‑risk map and directed DBI to include the disclosure on relevant building records; SFPUC emphasized parcel review and public outreach had been completed.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee on Feb. 4 recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve an ordinance requiring sellers and landlords to disclose whether a property lies within the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) 100‑year storm flood‑risk zone.
Charlene Choi, legislative aide to Board President Norman Yee, presented the ordinance, explaining it would amend the police code and housing code so sellers and landlords must tell buyers or tenants if a property is mapped as at risk by SFPUC. SFPUC staff described the modeling process used to build the map, explaining it identifies parcels subject to deep (greater than six inches) and contiguous (greater than half‑block) flooding in a modeled 100‑year storm.
"We would like people to be informed if their property is in that area so that they can make decisions," SFPUC staff said, noting the agency made the map public, mailed notices to affected property owners and created a parcel review process to correct cases where site‑specific data show a parcel should not be included.
Committee members asked how many parcels were listed; SFPUC said the map covered just under 4,000 assessor parcel numbers (about 3,870). Supervisors and commenters sought clarification that the SFPUC map is distinct from FEMA mapping (SFPUC focuses on stormwater and rain‑induced flooding; FEMA addresses coastal and riverine flooding) and pressed for accessible parcel review and multilingual outreach. Several residents and property owners testified they had never experienced flooding and worried about insurance and property values; SFPUC staff said the ordinance cannot require insurance purchases but that disclosure would allow buyers to make informed decisions.
The committee voted to send the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
